The most common size above-ground swimming pool in Orlando is a 24’ round. During the now 38 years of installing pools, I have installed more 24-foot round-shaped ones than any other size.
Twenty-four-foot round above-ground pools are popular in Orlando. This is because Orlando and surrounding towns have homes with big enough yards AND there are a lot of families that live here that will opt for a bigger pool.
9 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT INSTALLING A 24’ ROUND ABOVE-GROUND POOL IN ORLANDO
1 24’ AG pools typically have 16 uprights and top rails
Occasionally, I’ll see one with 17 of each, but most all pools this size have 16.
And if it has sixteen uprights and top rails, it’ll also have 16 top connectors, bottom connectors, and bottom track pieces.
So, for a 24’ round pool, you will need 16 patio stones to go under each upright.
NOTE: Professional installers will include the patio stones with the installation
2 A 24’ pool requires clearing and leveling a 26’ circle of yard
24 ft pools have about twenty-four feet of swimming area. This means the wall of the pool will be a 24’ circle and then the frame of the pool will stick out about another six inches all the way around depending on your model.
Clearing and leveling a 26’ circle will then give enough room to install the pool with its frame
3 A 24’ round pool is big enough for a household of four or more
This size pool holds about 14 thousand gallons and will accommodate up to 10 swimmers snugly. This is good with families that invite friends over or have dogs.
4 A 24ft AG pool in Orlando takes about one day to have installed
DIYers may take a week and some installers without a machine can take two days, but generally, an experienced installer with the right equipment should install a 24’ round in one day.
5 I charge $1300 to install a 24’ round above-ground pool
This is about the average cost to have a 24-round pool installed in Orlando (In 2023-4) My price includes PVC hard piping the equipment and up to 12 inches of off-level grading.
Some other pool installers may not include the hard piping or that much grading, so it’s good to know what is included as you don’t want any cost surprises.
NOTE: This is a price for metal-walled(hard-sided) type above-ground pools. Soft-sided Intex, Coleman, and Bestway made pools are different. With those, I only offer a ground-preparation service.
6 Depending on your water pressure, a 24’ pool takes about 24 hours to fill on average
Almost everyone in the Orlando area fills up their pool with their own water source. Municipal water in Orlando and Orange County has decent water pressure in most areas.
Some living in areas outside of Orlando may have wells. Some wells pump water very slowly and some can pump a lot of water quickly.
Few here in Central Florida will opt to have a water truck fill their pool. This is a very expensive option but can fill your pool very quickly. NOTE: A 24’ pool will require two water truck loads to fill.
7 A 24-foot round semi-inground pool will require at least a 27’ round hole
Setting an above-ground pool partially in the ground has become quite common in Orlando.
A pool needs room in the hole to be assembled, so making the hole 1.5ft wider than the pool size all the way around will give enough room to build
8 Installing a 24’ round above-ground pool takes at least two people
The bigger the pool, the harder it is to keep the wall up during installation. When installing a 24ft, I will have myself and one other experienced helper.
This is mainly to get the job done in one day AND get the wall up and secure if any strong wind is possible.
Most DIYers will use about 4 people to install a 24’ round pool.
9 In Orlando during the summer, installing a 24’ round pool should start very early in the morning
The summer in Orlando is also the rainy season. It can rain every afternoon here. This is why you want to have a 24’ pool almost completely installed before around 1 pm.
Afternoon storms in Orlando don’t last long, but they can be violent with high wind gusts and lighting. You want the pool to be almost done (or done) before the potential of one of these storms comes.
10 Protect your liner from nutgrass
Nutgrass in Orlando and surrounding areas can be a real problem for above-ground pools.
It’s essential to remove all of the root mass with the grass (sod) AND apply a quality GRANULAR ONLY nutgrass killer to the ground before installing the liner.